1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a door lock device installed to a door of a vehicle.
In the vehicle, an approximately U-shaped striker is arranged in a vehicle body, and a door lock device detachably engaging the striker is arranged in a door. The door lock device is provided with a latch mechanism for engaging the striker, and a lock mechanism for releasing an engagement of the striker by the latch mechanism. The lock mechanism is switched between an unlocked state capable of actuating the latch mechanism and a locked state incapable of actuating the latch mechanism, through an operation of an inner lock knob arranged in a vehicle inner side of the door, and an operation of a cylinder lock arranged in a vehicle outer side of the door. Further, in the locked state, the latch mechanism can not be actuated even by operating an inner handle arranged in the vehicle inner side of the door or an outer handle arranged in the vehicle outer side of the door. Further, in the unlocked state, the latch mechanism can be actuated so as to release the engagement of the striker, through an operation of the inner handle or the outer handle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In this type of door lock device, there is a structure (an override function) provided only in, for example, a door of a driver seat in which the lock mechanism is unlocked by operating the inner handle and the engagement of the striker can be released in succession by the latch mechanism in a case that the lock mechanism is in the locked state.
As a related art document information of the door lock device having such an override function, there exists Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-248348.
In a door lock device of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-248348, an inside lever and a second sublever are arranged as an inner handle operating system, and an outside lever, a coupling lever and a sublever are arranged as an operating system of an outer handle.
When a lock and unlock lever is positioned at an unlock position, the outside lever is moved from an inoperative position to an operative position, whereby the sublever comes into contact with an open lever to allow the open lever to rotate in an open direction. Accordingly, the door can be opened. On the other hand, when the lock and unlock lever is positioned at a lock position, the sublever does not reach the open lever even if the outside lever is moved from the inoperative position to the operative position, preventing the open lever from opening in the open direction. Therefore, the door cannot be opened.
Further, as the second sublever is coupled to the inside lever, if the inside lever is rotated from the inoperative position to the operative position, the second sublever is pulled upward, allowing the open lever to move up and rotate in an open direction so that the door can be opened. In other words, in a case of operating the inside lever, it is possible to always open the door directly regardless of whether the lock and unlock lever is at the lock position or the unlock position.
However, since the door lock device described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-248348 is designed exclusively for providing the override function, it is necessary to mount a different independently designed door lock device in a case that the override function is not provided. In other words, since it is necessary to mount completely different door lock devices such as in a case where the override function is not provided depending on a door even in the same vehicle, a case where the override function is not provided depending on a grade even in the same types of vehicle, or the like, a cost increase is caused. Further, since the door lock device described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-248348 is provided with respective parts of the operating system of the inner handle and the operating system of the outer handle, the number of the parts is increased, and a cost of the door lock device itself becomes high.